With Harbaugh, not staying in-house leads to doghouse

That’s the way it’s been for the 49ers during the Jim Harbaugh era: Just ask wideout Braylon Edwards and running back Brandon Jacobs, whose lone seasons with the team ended prematurely after they strayed from Harbaugh’s keep-everything-in-house edict.

Braylon Edwards. (San Francisco Chronicle)

In November 2011, Edwards revealed to reporters he’d been dealing with an undisclosed shoulder injury and his focus was on getting healthy for the playoffs.

Sound like a good idea to you, Jim?

“Braylon hasn’t said that to me,” Harbaugh said. “That’s something I can discuss with Braylon.”

A month later, before the regular-season finale, Harbaugh discussed Braylon’s release with him.

In 2012, the seldom-used Jacobs, whose unhappiness with his role already wasn’t a secret, ratcheted up his rhetoric. Jacobs said on social media that he was “rotting away” with the 49ers. Two days later, he was suspended for the final three regular-season games, a move followed by his release before the playoffs.

That offseason, wide receiver Randy Moss wasn’t re-signed after he said before the 2013 Super Bowl he didn’t like his skimpy role in the offense. The 49ers’ decision to not bring back Moss may have been simply about his age and diminished skills, but the specter of him becoming increasingly agitated about his “decoy” role didn’t enhance his chances of returning.

Now, it appears running back LaMichael James could be the latest player whose departure could be hastened by an inability to keep team issues in-house. James, who has voiced thinly veiled displeasure with his role on Twitter during his two-season, 39-carry career, is being shopped by the 49ers, the Sacramento Bee reported.

That report comes less than two months after general manager Trent Baalke said the team wasn’t interested in trading James. But James all but officially verified the report on Twitter 23 minutes after it surfaced: “When old news becomes new news,” he said.

Why hasn’t James, a 2012 second-round pick, received more opportunities? The 49ers’ crowded backfield – headlined by Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter since his arrival – has been a factor. In addition, James, a shifty runner, may be ill-suited for the 49ers’ power-running schemes. And his own limitations – particularly as a pass-blocker – have probably played a role.

However, James hasn’t helped his cause on social media. As a rookie, he retweeted Jacobs’ message about hating “your boss,” which was widely interpreted as a reference to Harbaugh. Last year, Harbaugh said he had a clear-the-air meeting with James, who tweeted he didn’t want to be “insurance” after he had three carries in the first four games.

Of course, becoming a distraction – no matter how slight – runs counter to Harbaugh’s “the team, the team, the team” mantra.

On Wednesday, when asked if James had requested a trade, a league source simply said, “He wants to play.”

James may not have needed to make a formal request: Sometimes speaking too candidly with reporters, or fans on social media, can help pave a path out of Santa Clara.